Phil Hay responds to question on whether potential EFL rule change will disadvantage Leeds
Phil Hay has claimed that he does not believe a potential EFL plan to increase the number of substitutes per match to five will negatively impact Leeds United.
As the second tier gears up for a return later this month, one of the ideas being considered to ease the strain on rusty players is allowing teams to make two extra changes per match.
The plan has already been approved by the IFAB and will be implemented in the Premier League.
So far this season, Leeds have made the joint lowest amount of substitutions of any side in the Championship alongside Middlesbrough – totalling just 91, as per the Yorkshire Evening Post.
By comparison, West Brom, who lead the rankings, have made 111.
But despite the potential rule change, which would allow their rivals to rotate their squad even further during matches, Hay does not see it as a disadvantage for the Whites.
Writing in a Q&A for The Athletic, when asked whether the alteration would go against Leeds, he said: “I’ve thought quite a bit about this.
“I see where you’re coming from but is it really a good idea for any manager to make five changes to their side in 90 minutes? Doesn’t that disrupt the team too much?
“Also, the fact that you’d only be allowed to make substitutions at three points in a match (ie to use all five, you’d have to stick on two at a time) might mean that the impact of the change is moot.
“You know Bielsa. He rarely makes any and probably won’t change.”
The only way that we could see extra substitutions being an issue for Leeds would be if it raised questions over our fitness in relation the opposition.
Under Bielsa, however, fitness levels have never been a problem, and even after this extended period of lockdown, you would expect his players to be in top condition when action restarts in the coming weeks.
Once you take that out of the equation, Hay is absolutely right – too many subs can be a hindrance, not a help.
For Leeds in particular, coming into this home straight off the back of five consecutive league wins, continuity will be key, and for Bielsa’s men, that will likely mean keeping changes to a minimum during matches.
In other Leeds United news, Ian Poveda issues Twitter verdict on Leeds title hopes ahead of Ch’ship restart.